Of Sleepovers and Shiny Armor
by Fireflamesinferno
Summary: Ty Lee hosts a sleepover for everyone's favorite Avatar girls. The boys desperately try to get an earful, including the newly made Fire Lord. Unfortunately, Zuko's romantic overtures are a bit, shall we say, pathetic. What will poor Katara do?


AN: Basically…. This is an ode to Avatar slumber parties and Zuko's really, really lame romantic skillz. Ok, so I normally don't do OC's . But alas, it was necessary… Jie Chinese for "servant." Sort of.

The Fire Palace kitchen servants weren't particularly sure what to do.

When the order for five gallons of sweetened water and thirty small cakes glazed in cactus juice came in from one of the royal body guard suites, the entire staff was completely stunned for a few moments. After all, it was not every day that the Fire Palace, the authoritative center of the nation, was home to a slumber party.

Then again, it _was_ Fire Lord Zuko's own fault for granting Ty Lee pardon, a job as a body guard, _and_ a home in the royal palace suites. A very big, very slumber party equipped suite.

It fell to a poor boy named Jie to deliver the highly potent cakes and drinks. Jie cautiously balanced the two trays the best he could. When he had received notification that he had been employed to the Fire Palace kitchen staff for his fine cooking skills a year prior, his family had rejoiced. They had even thrown a small neighborhood party for their son's success using their meager savings.

And yet here he was, catering mysterious sleepover parties in the very palace that had once been the base for the tyrannical domination of the world. The twelve-year-old boy crept to the looming suites, his tongue finding its way between his lips. Slumber parties were an enigma to boys his age; it would be a true story to tell his school friends if he could muster a glance of a _real _sleepover with _real _older women.

Jie finally arrived and was utterly surprised at the sight that met his eyes. Outside the door to Ty Lee's suite, three men stood. Jostling was more like it. The three seemed to be fighting over who got the coveted privilege of putting their ear to the keyhole next. Jie almost burst out laughing at the sight, with a bit of empathy, had it not been for the fact that one of the said three spies was the Fire Lord himself.

The servant boy ducked behind a crimson laced pillar, his eyes nervously scanning the comical scene before him. Was that—the Avatar? And the other man—it must have been the male Water Tribe ambassador! Jian Die grinned widely. This story would definitely beat out anything concerning sleepovers. Even if girls _were_ an unsolvable mystery. He was sure his schoolmates would idolize him for days after witnessing their nation's leader, the world's savior, and an important ambassador spying on a girl party.

He peeked around the column once more. The Ambassador Sokka was currently pressing his ear fervently against the door, struggling against the other two's grabbing, pulling, and jabbing at his shoulders and arms.

"It's my turn, Sokka!"

"Hey, I'm not done; I think I just heard Suki!"

"But I want to listen!"

"Get out of the way, Sokka."

"Or what, your royal highness? You'll light my butt on fire?"

"I'm claiming this keyhole by divine right!"

"I don't think so!"

"Well—well—I'm claiming this keyhole by the right of…of Reincarnated Mystical World Protector!"

"You just made that up. That's not even a title."

"Well I claim it by the right of my boomerang!!!"

"That's stupid."

"Well it's better than claiming by the power of magical protection of mystical many living people things! _That's_ stupid."

"It was Reincarnated Mystical World Protector!"

"So! It's still stupid!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yes-huh!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yes-huh!"

"You two, shut up! I hear something!"

The Avatar Aang and the Ambassador Sokka immediately quieted. Jie paled, thinking he had been discovered. Then he realized that all three men had their ears pressed against the door crack. Zuko stood straight up, Sokka crouching below him, and Aang stooping even lower beneath him. The servant boy watched them as a long, almost ominous moment of silence passed.

Jie felt that something must have been wrong. There was something about the lack of noise that was eerie…it was then that he noted that the girl's laughter had stopped. Suddenly, the entire marble floor beneath the three men overturned, sending them stumbling into the courtyard garden. Before they could get over their shock, water came blasting through the crack in the door, soaking all three to the bone.

Finally, the doors flew open, and a spontaneous, dirty napkin was thrown out. They shut immediately afterwards with a resounding bang.

Jie had to set down the trays so he could muffle his own laughter at the surprise on the three's faces. The Avatar was the first to recover, bending a gust of air over his body to dry off. He walked over precariously towards the discarded napkin, eyeing it with suspicion. Deciding it was safe, he picked it up and unfolded it.

"Stu—no, stop listening to our keyhole…" He glanced back ruefully at his partners in crime. "Love, the girls."

The Avatar looked grimly at the napkin. Grumbling, the Ambassador Sokka rose to his feet, shaking himself.

"Aang, buddy, could you GET OVER HERE AND BEND THIS WATER OFF US!!!" Sokka cried indignantly.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Instead of airbending, he drew the water right out of their clothes and discarded it to the side, splashing it all over the hidden Jie in the process. The boy couldn't help but yelp in shock. After he did, he immediately covered his mouth.

_Oh Agni._

A strong hand grasped his shoulder, firmly tugging him from around the pillar.

The Water Tribe Ambassador had grabbed him. He looked up at the three men staring at him, his heart pumping in terror at the Fire Lord. The man seemed at least a foot taller up close. Jie avoided his gaze completely, instead focusing on the ground.

"Seems we have a spy here, guys." Sokka noted in a serious manner as he held the boy. Jie was relieved to see it was not the Fire Lord who had grabbed him. His relief dropped away a moment later as the domineering amber eyes caught his own, leaving him powerless to look away.

"Yes, it seems we do." Zuko muttered darkly, attempting to cover up his obvious embarrassment.

"And what shall we do with said spy?" Sokka replied ominously.

Jie looked between each of their faces, completely put off by the evil smirk on his captor's face. Zuko nodded in compliance, immediately catching the ambassador's drift. His shaggy dark hair fell aside to reveal his fearsome scar. Jee cowered, looking to the Avatar for help. He _had_ saved the world, after all. Aang seemed puzzled, but then beamed when he caught on to the insidious plan.

So Jie went to his fall back plan. He begged. "Please, Fire Lord, sir, don't fire me! I mean, not literally. No! Wait! Yes literally, I don't want to die by the flame, sir, please! And my job too—I can't lose my job! Please! I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

Zuko made a noise that almost sounded distinctly like a chuckle.

"Servant, I think we may have a way for you to make it up to us."

* * *

When the door finally opened, Jie found himself wishing he could just swallow the enormous lump in his throat and turn to run.

But again, Agni did not seem to favor him this day. For before him were the girls.

The room, for starters, had become a mess of _girly _things. Various jars of makeup, polishers, soaps, moisturizers, and face masks littered the floor and bed. Also, a few books with rather ominous romantic titles were strewn around the lounge couch. The floor was also coated in pillows and blankets save for the small, seemingly random slab of rock in the corner.

After taking this in, Jie then set his gaze on _them._

And indeed, girls in their natural habitat were something his prepubescent eyes had yet to see. It was disturbing, at best.

The girl he knew as the Kyoshi warrior friend of the Avatar sat comfortably on the couch opposite an Earth Kingdom girl Jie didn't recognize. The Kyoshi warrior was devoid of her usual armor and makeup, but instead looked rather…prissy. The girl across from here was happily applying some sort of red stuff to her cheeks.

Directly adjacent to the couch was a mound of pillows in which the Governess Mai sat, twiddling a small knife between her fingers. She had been appointed the position at the demotion of her father, a prominent follower of Ozai. Though the expressionless girl was only nineteen, she had already made a large impact on her designated vicinity to lead.

Across from her, settled on a cushioned chair was the Waterbending Ambassador Katara. Jie knew a bit about her, from the many stories of the Avatar, though some were told with disgust and others with admiration. It had been rumored that in recent years the Fire Lord had been placing an unusual amount of interest in her political advice. The young woman's business trips to the Palace had become quite frequent.

Currently, though, she was excitedly applying an odd looking face mask, attempting to coerce the girl Jie thought was the famed blind Earthbender Toph into putting some on her face as well. The younger girl scowled every time the Ambassador Katara came at her with a blob of the goo on her hand.

And finally, seated on the bed, a strange girl with long braids extending to either side of her head and odd teeth bounced energetically next to an extremely tom boyish girl. The tomboy girl seemed just as bored as the infamous Governess and the aggravated Earthbender.

And before Jie, at the door, stood Ty Lee. The ex-acrobat-turned-bodyguard grinned widely, her eyes glistening with delight.

"Well aren't you just the cutest little thing? Look, girls, the refreshments are here!" She giggled, letting him carry his two trays through the door. He wobbled nervously over to a nearby table, praying to Agni he wouldn't stumble on a random jar of eye paint. Ty Lee cart wheeled by him to a particularly fluffy pile of pink pillows at the foot of the bed. He almost lost the trays at that, but managed to keep his steadiness.

"_Finally_." Mai grumbled wearily, sheathing the frightening knife in her left sleeve. "Something to do besides makeovers."

"Yes! Food!" The odd looking girl on the bed exclaimed, leaping towards the table Jie had set the trays down on. In the process, she elbowed the tomboyish girl sitting beside her.

"Meng, watch it!"

"Sorry, Smellerbee."

The other girls sprang up elatedly, the Earthbender escaping the Waterbender as swiftly as she could. Jie cowered beside his successfully placed trays, watching each girl nervously. Sure, the Earthbender and the crazy hair girl were only about three years older than him, but still! He felt intimidated beyond reasoning, shivering in his own boots.

But Jie knew he had a duty to complete, or otherwise have the seat of his pants burned by fireballs. He stood dutifully next to his trays, pouring cups of sweetened water and handing out plates of cakes, despite the fact that he wanted to leap out the large window screaming in terror at the overwhelming amount of…femininity?

Ty Lee, in the meantime, had settled down into her mountain of pillows once more. "Oooh, this is so fluffy and good!" She squealed in delight between cake crumbs. The others emphatically nodded their heads in agreement, save Mai. She simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"I still can't believe those dumb-head boys were spying on us!" The crazy looking girl, Meng, munched thoughtfully on her own cactus cake. Jie stiffened. They seemed to be going in a good direction…he perked his ears, taking in their conversation.

"Mmph…Twin el noes ist so noyin sum time!" Toph replied. If one could call it that, with a mound of masticated cake in her mouth. She had nestled herself onto the rock slab once more. The Ambassador Katara, lounging beside her on a low chair, lightly tapped her on the arm.

"Toph, that's gross! Keep your mouth closed when you're eating."

The Earthbender swallowed loudly in response. "Whatever you say, Sugar Queen." The young woman beside her sighed, sipping her beverage.

"Well, Toph, you'll never get a boyfriend, silly, if you eat like that!" Ty Lee teased. Jie bristled in excitement. _Boyfriend_ talk. This was something the Fire Lord, Avatar, and Ambassador would surely hold in high importance.

Meng giggled at that comment, slapping the knee of the tomboyish girl—Smellerbee?—in amusement. The glare that the tomboy girl sent her way made her stop immediately. But no glare could compare to the venomous look that had come upon the Earthbender's face.

"I don't want a stupid boyfriend!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms childishly.

Ty Lee laughed at that, in an almost maniacal fashion, after sipping a dangerously large gulp of the sugary drink. "Silly, you're sixteen! Why wouldn't you want a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, don't tell me you've never looked at a guy and saw potential." The unidentified Earth Kingdom girl beside the Kyoshi warrior leaned on the couch arm, her eyes aglow at the shift in the topic. It seemed to Jie that this was _the_ most important topic of the festivities. And if he got the names of the romantic interests!

Toph's face went bright red, and she glared at anyone who dared meet her eye.

"I mean, c'mon, all that time with Sokka and Aang! And even Zuko for a bit!" Ty Lee clapped her hands in glee, oblivious to the proverbial daggers tempestuously being thrown by the Earthbender's eyes.

"Ok, guys, let's layoff." The Waterbender jutted in before blood was shed. Jie nodded slightly at this. Most of the good stories about the beautiful Ambassador stated she was a great peacemaker.

"Well, I for one, have to agree. Boys are kind of dumb." The Kyoshi warrior stated matter-of-factly. Jie had to note that she looked a great deal less fierce without the warrior paint. In fact, she looked quite pretty.

"Oh, what about Sokka?" Ty Lee replied giddily, "He is a cutie…"

"I, uh…" The Kyoshi girl stumbled in a flustered way, "Well, ok, we are…sort of…involved…"

"Funny how that works out." Mai mumbled slightly.

"I would have _never_ picked him as your ideal man." Ty Lee sarcastically stated, giggling slightly. She then gasped loudly, her wide eyes shining. "OOOOOOHH! I have a great game we can play! The Ideal Man Game!"

Jie almost grinned. Now, that would be the best news he gathered from his little venture all night. He might even be promoted for it.

"That sounds AMAZING." Meng bounced up and down.

"Um…ok…" The Earth Kingdom girl shrugged in acceptance.

"Sounds riveting." Governess Mai added in dryly.

"You go first, Jin!" Ty Lee randomly pointed to the young woman Jie had previously categorized as unidentified. Jin it was, then.

"Well, ok. I guess he would have to have dark hair, a kind of brooding look to him, a tough exterior but a sweet inside, um, and, a knack for juggling…"

"Ew, that sounds like ol' Spitfire!" Toph cried, her nose scrunching at the thought. "Well, 'cept for the part about juggling…I can't see him doing that."

"Heh, you'd be surprised…" The girl, Jin, drifted off for a moment. Jie mentally jotted that fact down, wondering if the Earth Kingdom girl really did have a thing for the Fire Lord. Jin turned to the girl beside her. "Suki, I guess it's your turn."

"Hm, that's a mystery." Suki smirked lightly, referencing her previous admittance. "I say Katara gets to go."

"Yeah, Katara, what do you like in a guy?" Ty Lee added, turning to the Waterbender. Jie found himself particularly interested in her answer, especially considering the rumors going around about her time with the Fire Lord. Although, he had heard her described as the Avatar's girlfriend.

"Well, I guess I had never thought about it before. You know, I think I just want what every girl wants: a handsome guy in shining armor, sweeping you away on his noble beast and riding into the sunset." She laughed at her own statement. "Ok, that is kind of silly."

"No, it's sweet. Who doesn't want that, anyway?" Ty Lee cooed. Toph immediately raised her hand, waving it like a five-year-old in school, exploding with the answer to a question. Jie smirked to himself, mentally storing all he could in his mind. His three employers would be well pleased with the reaping of information he was getting. And the girls didn't expect a thing—who would be suspicious of a cute little boy anyway?

* * *

The next day, Jie triumphantly bore a golden tray in his wiry arms. The significance of the tray solely lay in the fact that he had cooked the lunch himself, via the order of the Fire Lord. Not many of the hundred kitchen staffed servants could boast of that fact. Jie wasn't particularly sure why he was ordered to cook and deliver such an odd cuisine to the Old Garden's current residents, but he nevertheless took the job readily. He hoped dearly that it was an honor bestowed upon him due to the utter success of his mission from the evening before.

He turned the corner into the wide expanse of the garden. Jie vaguely remembered an older servant telling him it was the Fire Lord's favorite meditation spot. He could see why.

The grass was dappled with golds and greens, softly swaying to the delicate breeze. Slight, lovely trees graced the ground here and there, offering shade from the warmth of the afternoon sun. In the middle of the garden, a small pool unobtrusively rippled and glimmered. The pond's clear water was stirred continuously by several turtle ducks, scooting along towards the two figures perched by the water's edge.

Jie recognized the two as Toph and Katara. They sat in quiet companionship, gently tossing small chunks of bread into the water to feed the turtle ducks. Jie had thought the Earthbender would be the type to dismiss such a pastime as an activity for "wusses," but there she was, peacefully lounging beside her friend.

Unusually, the area was not exactly deserted. Jie suddenly wondered if word of whatever Lord Zuko was playing at had gotten around. Three guards casually leaned against the columns of the far entrance, attempting valiantly to look inconspicuous. Likewise, four gardeners worked nonchalantly on trimming the bushes on the opposite side of the expansive gardens. Jie also noticed their behavior seemed a bit feigned. Lastly, and most noticeably, the Governess Mai and the Head body guard Ty Lee strolled around the edges of the south side of the garden, underneath a relieving shade cast by a small copse of trees.

Jie thought that they seemed like innocent bystanders, as they were not stealing glances at the two feeding the turtleducks. It did not surprise him in the least, however, that the staff members of the Fire Palace seemed to be curious about the Fire Lord's scheme. The servant boy himself had heard of an odd bustling down at the stables, along with rumors of a peculiar visit to the armories by the Fire Lord himself the night prior. And now the delivery of the lunch. He was sure that the three guards and servants were there to spy for their friends. The Fire Palace staff was absolutely notorious for their web of stories and rumors, after all.

As he reached the central pond, the Waterbender Katara looked up first. Toph followed suit as she felt her friend's turn in attention.

"My ladies." Jie bowed as low as he possibly could with the heavy golden tray he bore proudly.

"Hello, Jie. It's nice to see you again." Katara politely replied. She looked curiously at him, an eyebrow curving at the tray. Toph also looked in puzzlement, which disconcerted Jie fairly, considering she was blind and couldn't see his odd delivery. "To what do we owe the honor of this visit?"

"Well, my ladies, I am here to deliver a very special lunch in the honor of Ambassador Katara of the Southern Water Tribes." Jie recited carefully in response, setting the tray down upon a flat rock beside them.

"No honor for me? Gee, thanks." Toph smirked slightly, clearly estimating the contents of the covered tray. How she was doing this, Jie couldn't even fathom.

"Oh, well, I'm flattered, Jie. To whom do I owe my thanks?" Katara added in, stuttering slightly in surprise. She tucked a loose strand of her russet hair behind her ear.

"My good lady, Fire Lord Zuko himself has ordered the menu and express delivery."

"Ol' Spitfire?"

"Zuko???"

"Yes, mam. The Fire Lord sends a message with it as well." Jie took a moment to uncover the tray. He regarded his carefully organized meal with pride, as odd as it was. In the center, a steaming bowl of sea prunes was complimented by a plated slice of penguin seal roast. To the left, a dessert of Fire Nation Lily Cakes and two cups of fine wine completed the meal.

"Oh, goody, I recognize _that_ smell. Granted I only had the imitation kind…" Toph immediately spouted out as the wafts emanating from the bowl of prunes reached her nose. Katara, Jie noticed, immediately froze as her eyes set on the tray. It was as if she knew the choice of food implied something in particular, something only she would have knowledge of. For the first time, Jie actually gave merit to the numerous claims made about the true nature of the Fire Lord's relationship with this young woman.

"Jie, thank you. Um…what did Zuko…want to say?" The striking Waterbender stumbled over her words, her gaze never lifting from the lunch. The odd delivery had garnered quite a bit of attention from the suspicious staff "working" in the garden. Mai and Ty Lee were also glancing over in curiosity by that point.

"Well, mam, frankly I'm not really sure what he meant by it. But…" Jie took a short breath, remembering the rather brief accompanying message of the lunch. "He said, 'I hope you _eventually_ enjoy your lunch.'"

"What does that stupid message mean? I don't even get to eat any of this lunch, do I? Is this some crazy plan to work out his little crush on Sugar Queen?" Toph again ranted, crossing her arms in what was probably mock anger. Jie hoped it was, anyway.

Katara simply reddened at the comment.

"I dunno, that's just what he said to say. Enjoy, mam." Jie bowed quickly, and turned to walk away. However, he very slowly marched towards the way he had entered the Old Garden, hoping to catch anything that might happen. No sooner had he gone a few paces from the pond and the bewildered girls, one of the snooping gardeners cried out and started pointing wildly at the sky. The kitchen boy looked upwards, cupping his hands around his eyes to block out the stark light of the sun. Surly enough, a peculiar shadow was crisscrossing above. After a moment, Jie distinguished the shape as the Avatar's famed bison.

The surprise of the occupants of the garden was not due to the appearance of the bison itself. It was well known that the Avatar frequently took the great beast for flying at least twice a day. What _was_ a surprise was that the bison seemed to be descending straight into the very garden.

Jie backed up awkwardly, his face fixated on the fluffy creature's rapidly approaching form. The guards, the other servants, Ty Lee, Mai, Toph, and Katara all stared in confusion as well. Finally, with a triumphant puff of grass billowing into the air, the bison landed ungracefully on the cramped lawn. Jie expected to see the gleeful bald monk sitting astride the neck of the bison. What he did see came as a complete shock.

Atop the bison, awkwardly grasping the reins tightly in his fists, sat the Fire Lord himself. He was decked out completely in his dark maroon battle armor, gleaming ominously in the light of the sun. An ebon cape fell from his shoulders, swaying slightly in the dull breeze. Altogether, the ruler of the Fire Nation looked entirely inelegant and utterly ridiculous dressed in full regalia on the back of the fluffy bison.

All of the garden's occupants seemed to have similar reactions to the silliness of the entrance. So many mouths fell wide open that Jie imagined the beeflies were having a rather brief hay day.

Katara seemed to shake off her astounded expression first.

"Zuko, what are you doing?!?"

The Fire Lord gave her a burning glare that seemed to be absolutely full of unbelief, as though it should be completely obvious what he was doing. "Get on."

Katara seemed to attempt to form about five different sentences, her mouth moving indistinctly before she found the right words. "Excuse me!?"

"You heard me, peasant, get on." Zuko replied gruffly, attempting to save face.

Suddenly, Jie heard another voice say something to his far right. "Oh Agni, he _must_ be joking."

The kitchen boy turned to see the Governess Mai looking on in disbelief. Ty Lee turned her head to her friend, still confused. "What is it? What's he doing?"

Mai rolled her eyes in agony at the antics of her former boyfriend. "Spirits, I don't think he _is_ joking."

Jie raised his brow. What was it that the somber Governess had figured out that everyone else had missed?

"No!"

Meanwhile, Katara had risen to her feet, aghast at Lord Zuko's audacity.

"Just get on!" The Firebender growled unceremoniously, the bison plopping down to the ground in boredom.

"No! You're being ridiculous!" The Waterbender crossed her arms fiercely.

"Why are you being so difficult?!?"

"What are you talking about? You fly down into the middle of a palace garden on Appa wearing full battle armor and you expect me to just _get on_?"

"Yes!"

"Well I won't." Katara stuck out her lip in defiance, stance strong.

The Fire Lord sighed loudly in exasperation. He slid off the neck of the great fluffy creature, dropping in an abrupt heap of clanging metal. He quickly regained his composure, marching on in full glory. Katara suddenly looked alarmed, but held still.

"Oh, now you're threatening me? Well, I'm not coming! Don't think your wimpy armor can make me!" The Waterbender declared, though it was obvious that the Fire Lord looked a great deal more imposing than she expressed.

He reached her, crossing his own arms to mirror her stance. "I'm only doing what you wanted, you stupid peasant!"

There seemed to be a somewhat collective "Huh?" murmured by the spectators, save for Mai, who seemed to have it all figured out. She, in fact, looked completely shamed by their leader's actions, having her suspicions confirmed by his statement.

"What is he doing, Mai?" Jie heard Ty Lee whisper to her companion. Mai moaned, scowling at the ridiculous performance the nation's leader was putting on.

"The sleepover, Ty Lee. When we played that boring ideal man game? Remember what Katara's answer was?"

Ty Lee looked confused for a moment, and then her mouth firmed a perfect o in understanding. Toph, who had overhead them as well, paused for a moment to consider the information. And then, quite unexpectedly, she doubled over with laughter. The Fire Lord glared at her, his eyes narrowing. Further back, Ty Lee suddenly grinned widely. She set off into a short set of handsprings, landing back beside her friend.

"That's sooooo romantic!" She squealed, causing the already embarrassed Fire Lord to go as red as his element in the face. The object of the Firebender's romantic overtures had previously seemed to have a basic understanding of the situation. Now, she blushed furiously as her grasping of his intentions was fulfilled.

"But—how—I—how did you overhear that?" She finally seemed to get out.

Zuko gazed back at her earnestly, one gloved hand reaching out to take hers. "Walls of water weren't going to keep me out."

Jie froze, suddenly very aware of the understanding looks already coming from Ty Lee and Mai. Toph, who had finally stopped choking with laughter, turned back to him. "You—you little spy!"

Jie stared at her with widely terrified eyes. "I—he—don't hurt me!"

Toph looked almost threatening for a moment, before strolling over and lightly punching the kitchen boy in the shoulder. "Great job, Jie! We had no clue! Maybe we could talk about pulling a couple scams sometime…"

Jie was shocked, but laughed nervously. "Uh…sure…mam…"

Meanwhile, the Waterbender and the Firebender seemed suddenly oblivious to the action outside themselves.

"So, will you come with me, then?" Zuko quietly entreated.

"_Yes."_ Katara breathed. She then regained her awareness of their audience. "But what were you thinking?!? No one is going to respect you after word of this gets out! After all we've worked for to make this world stable again, and you are willing to blow it away on a silly—"

She wasn't able to finish, for the Fire Lord had quickly placed his hand over her mouth. "Shut up and kiss me, peasant."

Without her consent, he removed his hand and kissed her full on, full force.

Ty Lee squealed once more at the action, and Mai sighed in exasperation.

"And how does he always get the girl with stupid lines like that one?"

_'Who knows, Governess, who knows.'_ Jie thought in amusement, a grin spreading across his face as the Fire Lord led his new beau back to the flying bison. Lord Zuko paused for a moment, turning back to the kitchen boy.

"Servant, please deposit the lunch onto the bison's back."

Jie rushed to the tray, grabbed it, and lumbered over to the side of the bison. He paused for a moment, wondering how to actually get the tray up there. Suddenly, the ground beneath him rose up in a pillar, so that he was level with the saddle on the bison's back. Jie almost yelped, until he heard the Fire Lord's voice as he climbed up into the saddle.

"Toph, kindly see to having a patch of grass laid over that enormous _thing_ you just raised up in _my _garden!"

The Earthbender simply rolled her eyes, lowering the pillar once Jie was ready to come back down. The kitchen boy smiled in thanks, scurrying away so the bison could take off.

Needless to say, the Fire Lord and the Waterbender rode off towards the sun.

AN: YES, that was WAY longer than I intended it to be. And sillier. Alas. Anyhow.

Random things: In this story, it is assumed that Jin somehow met everyone else. Somehow. Maybe Zuko invited her to his coronation or something freakish. Who knows. Also, Meng apparently gets invited around with the Gaang too. Because Meng needs some love. She is crazy after all. WOOT. Yes, implied Sukka. Don't hate.


End file.
